Shane’s Rock Challenge: KEITH RICHARDS – 1988 – Talk Is Cheap

Shane | 23 July 2014 | Reply

Shane’s Rock Challenge: KEITH RICHARDS – 1988 – Talk Is Cheap
By Shane Pinnegar
9.5/10

Keef’s craggy visage scowls at us from the cover of this first solo album, skull ring shining malevolently, fag almost burnt down, eyes glaring – challenging. He’s Keef Fucking Richards. Louche, raw, loose: the embodiment of REAL rock n’ f’n roll, and that’s what the album contains – a selection of great rock n’ roll tunes played by a real band of crack session dudes, that were obviously worked up by jamming in the rehearsal room and played with a laid back groove, high intensity and maximum attitude.

For starters, you can hardly go wrong when your band includes Charlie Drayton, Waddy Wachtel, Bernie Worrell and co-producer (with Keef) Steve Jordan, and you can call up your old mates Ivan Neville, Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, Mick Taylor, Johnnie Johnson, Bobby Keys, Patti Sciaffa and The Memphis Horns to do a guest turn!

Take It So Hard sets the tone: Keef’s Jacks & nicotine growly rasp strangely in tune over the no-bullshit track, the band immediately locking into an instinctive and irresistible groove.

Struggle and the 50’s rocking fun of I Could Have Stood You Up (the latter featuring Keef’s old Stones co-guitarist Mick Taylor and Chuck Berry’s pianist Johnnie Johnson) continue the excellence, followed by the passionate lover’s lament Make No Mistake, a duet with Sarah Dash which also features the wonderful Memphis Horns.

You Don’t Move Me is a heartfelt backhander, perfectly suited to Keef’s smokey rasp, and the rock reggae Rockawhile boasts a great groove and shows how the human riff just lives and breathes music in all its diversity.

Locked Away’s longing is another highlight, Keef’s voice cracking with the emotion of the tune, before the part-shuffle, part-reggae, all-Keef It Means A Lot closes the doors for the day.

It’s a great album and highlights how tragic it is that he only recorded two outside of his day job with The Stones, and only when he was feuding with Jagger.